Appropriate Preposition
HSC, SSC, IELTS, TOEFL and job English
We use different prepositions with the same word to
express different meaning of the word. We commonly use prepositions after
adjectives. Some nouns have particular prepositions which normally follow them.
We also use preposition after verbs to make prepositional verbs.
Some essential and important appropriate prepositions
with examples are listed below.
→Addicted
to: unable
to stop taking or doing something as a habit: He has totally become
addicted to online quizzes.
→Awareness
of: to
have knowledge or experience of a particular thing or situation: There is a growing awareness of the impact of
coronavirus among the young.
→Aware of: to know or realize something:
The adult should be aware of the danger of taking drugs.
→Advertisement
for: a
piece of writing that advertises a job:
I saw an advertisement for a teaching
job in Germany which looked interesting.
→Afraid of: feeling fear, frightened: He
is afraid of spiders.
→Agree to: to accept someone’s
suggestion or plan: I agreed to his appointment.
→Agree
with: to
accept the point of someone/something: He did not agree with me.
→Agree on: to agree on some issues or
point of debate: They agreed on this issue.
→Anxious
about: worried
and nervous about something: He feels very anxious about the future.
→Apart from : except for: He has
answered all questions apart from the
last one.
→Belong to: to be owned by someone
or something: This
pen belongs to David.
→Contribute to: to give
(e.g. money, time, assistance, goods) or to help achieve/provide something:
He
contributed to our collection.
→Concentrate
on: to
give attention to a particular subject
or activity: Regarding coronavirus we should concentrate more on
prevention than cure.
→Compare
to: to
compare between two different things: He compares his beloved's tongue
to a razor blade.
→Compare
with: to
compare between two similar things: How does life in Portugal compare
with life in Germany?
→Congratulate
on: to
praise someone for an achievement or success: We congratulated him on
his brilliant success.
→Congratulations
on: expressions
of pleasure for one’s success: Congratulations on your exam results!
→Difference
between: a
way in which someone or something is dissimilar: What is the difference
between simple and complex sentence?
→Different from: not the same/dissimilar:
David is completely different from his brother.
→Deprive
of: to
prevent someone from having or doing sth: The children are deprived of
their basic rights.
→Depend on: to rely on or trust
somebody/something: You can always depend on David in a crisis.
→Due to: because of something:
He has been absent from work due to sickness.
→Exhibition
of: an
event of showing paintings, photographs etc.: He went to see an exhibition of art.
→Excited
about: to
feel happy and enthusiastic: I’m
really excited about my trip to England.
→Example
of: something
that shows what you say: Can you give me an example of a compound sentence?
→Familiar
with: knowing
someone or something very well: He is familiar with the computer
software I use.
→Focus on: to give attention to someone
or something: You need to focus more on your career.
→Full of: containing or holding as much/many as
possible: The case is full of
clothes.
→Good at: skilful or successful doing
something well: He is very good at languages.
→Good for: to have a positive effect on
someone/something: Exercise is good for health.
→Insist on: to demand or keep doing something: He
insisted on my going to the supermarket.
→Information
on/about: facts
about someone or something:
Can you give me some information on/about enrolling the course, please?
→Interested
in: to
give lots of attention to something: He is interested in working abroad.
→Knowledge
of: understanding or skills about a subject: For this job you need some knowledge
of German.
→Lack of: the state of not having
something or not enough: Lack of sleep makes him irritable.
→Member of: a person, animal or thing
belonging to a group: Can I
become a member of your team?
→Method of: a particular way of doing
something: I used different methods of analysing my sociological data.
→Possibility
of: something
that may happen: There is no possibility of getting rid of coronavirus
if we do not raise social awareness.
→Prefer to: to like one thing better
than another: He prefers coffee to tea.
→Prepare
for: making
something or someone ready for something: He prepared for his interview.
→Prevent
from: keep
something from happening or stop someone from doing something: The
coronavirus might prevent companies from creating new jobs.
→Protect
from: to
keep someone or something safe from being harmed or damaged: Sunglasses
protect the eyes from the light of the sun.
→Prohibit
from: to
prevent someone from doing something: German citizens were prohibited
from travelling abroad.
→Risk of: the possibility of happening
something bad or danger: We all know the risks of getting
a coronavirus if we don’t keep social distance.
→Reply to: to answer or respond: I usually reply immediately to comments on my posts.
→Responsible
for: to have duty of doing something or taking
care of: Everyone is responsible
for keeping the coronavirus control.
→Recover
from: to
get well again after an illness or hurt: He has fully recovered from the
coronavirus.
→Rely on: to need or trust someone/something:
David relies on me for good advice.
→Sorry
about: to
feel sadness, disappointment, or sympathy about something: He was sorry
about what’s happened.
→Separate
from:
not joined or connected: He kept the
vegetables separate from the rice.
→Similar
to: looking
or being the same but not identical: His T-shirt is similar
to mine.
→Surprised
at: feeling or
showing surprise: I was very
surprised at the result.
→Suffer
from: to
experience physical or mental pain: He has been suffering from asthma
for two years.
→Sure of: certain that you know
something: He was sure of passing the exam.
→Suitable
for: appropriate
or right for someone or something: This programme is not suitable for
young children.
→Talk
about: to
discuss: We talk about the good things and the bad things.
→Translation
into: changing
or translating something into another language: He did
a translation into English of some German novels.
→Victim of: someone who has been
attacked or hurt: His aim is to help victims of domestic violence.
→Way of: a method or manner of doing
something: Online classes are one way of teaching students.
→Worried
about: unhappy
thinking about a problem: Doctors are worried about the possible spread
of the coronavirus.
→Wrong
with: causing
problem or difficulty: There is something wrong with the computer.
References
CollinsOnline Dictionary: Definitions, Thesaurus and Translations. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.collinsdictionary.com/
Cambridge Dictionary: English Dictionary,Translations
& Thesaurus. https://dictionary.cambridge.org/
Oxford Learner's Dictionaries: Find
definitions, translations, and grammar explanations at Oxford Learner's
Dictionaries. (n.d.). Retrieved from
https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/
Longman
Dictionary of Contemporary English Online. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.ldoceonline.com/
Murphy,
R., & Hashemi, L. (2019). English grammar in use. Cambridge: Cambridge
University Press.
Swan, M.
(2016). Practical English usage. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
